Sleeping Beauty
by Getti
Summary: The typical fairytale, but with a twist. SatoshixDai later KradxDark Chapter 7 up.
1. Losing Everything

Forgetful: Yay! My first fic on my new laptop! Come to think of it, my first DNAngel fic too. It's all good.

Maikeru: Grrrr. (Just woke up.) Do you always have to be so loud, Girl?

Forgetful: Nope. Just when you're trying to sleep.

Maikeru: Damn you.

Shoichi: (Sweatdrop) Forgetful does not own DNAngel or any of its cast. She also does not own the origional story of sleeping beauty, although any alterations are her own ideas. She apologises for all typing errors, these are due to her not being as good at typing on a laptop keyboard as on a regular computer. Thank you for reading. (Bows.)

Warnings: Shounen-ai, OOCness and bad spelling errors! Pairings: Satoshi and Dai. Dark and Dai...although which pairing will triumph?

**Sleeping Beauty**

Chapter 1 - Losing Everything

A New Version By Forgetful

The explosions could be heard from downstairs. The fire had allready consumed the right wing of the castle, and no more sounds of fighting came from below, suggesting any soldiers left alive had fled. Daisuke was left in the great hall. A proud room, used for court cases and galas, soon to be reduced to rubble. Its once shining floor was allready marred by the spilt blood of his parents. His father was dead and Daisuke couldn't bear to look at his corpse. His Mother was also slowly slipping away, and he held her in his arms.

" Please Daisuke. I'm going to die anyway, and I want you to stay, live, keep our kingdom from collapsing." Emiko whispered, her voice unable to reach a higher volume.

" No! I won't let you Mother, I don't want you to go..." Tears fell as he clutched her closer.

" He's looking for you Dai. If he finds you, you're going to die. The city needs you alive as its Prince.We need you alive. Do it for me, for your Father." Daisuke looked over at the conjured thing that had killed and mortally wounded his parents. It was a summon of some kind, and as it had been overpowering his Father, he'd landed a lucky shot with a decorative sword off the wall. It was sheer miracle, but if he could save the people in the city...He hung his head.

" I'll do it." His Mother gave a wan smile of victory.

" Thank you. Now, I need your help. Hold my hand to your forehead." He lifted her hand. She would be gone forever within the next five minutes, it was certain.

" Don't pull away, no matter what. Promise?" Daisuke nodded reluctantly."Promise me Daisuke Niwa!"

" I promise not to pull away." Satisfied, she continued. Closing her eyes, her face set into one of complete concentration. Her hand begin to glow, and Daisuke could feel immence energy gathering behind that one gateway. Fearful, he was aout to break his promise when the gateway opened and from her hand shot a beam of pure white light. It hit Daisuke's forehead, and then spread out in a bubble around his whole body. Eventually it retreated into his head, and Emiko crumpled to the floor.

That was it, she was gone. He hadn't wanted to do it, it meant sure death for her, but she seemed sure she would have died either way. He tried to take comfort from that, but failed miserably.

" Rest well Mother, Father..." He was interrupted by a dark wind that was so cold even the fire drew back. He was coming.

And Daisuke ran.

He fled from the room that he hoped to never see again, and through the slowly crumbling corridoors. Down the spiralling staircase that never seemed to end.

Down and round and down and round and down and round and down and round and down and round and down and round and down and...

As he rounded the next corner he was smacked by a wall of heat. The fire was beginning to eat these stairs as well! He began to back up the stairs again and found himself suddenly freezing cold. He was trapped between a ferocious fire and a powerful murderer. Oops.

He heard shuffling footsteps to his left. (Which is impossiable since spiral staircases have round walls, like a big tube, and so there was nothing to his left except bricks.)

The wall there suddenly broke appart and in the dusty darkness stood his mother's phsycic adviser, his Grandmother.

" Nana! (Yeah, well, what do you people think he'd call his grannie?) You're alive, thank goodness..."

"Shut up and follow your Grandma." She grabbed his sleeve and led him into the gloom, and the stone door closed behind them. It was covered in old and very powerful inscriptions of protection and those that translated as 'barrier'.

" It'll take him a while to get through that lot. Let's get moving." She led him in the pitch black, although it didn't surprise him how easily she managed. She was blind, and so could walk wether it was night or day or the apocolypse, she could see none of it.

" Can we really escape him?" Daisuke uncertainly question when he heard a angry roar from the staircase behind them.

" Don't jinx it, stupid boy. Never say something like that until you're sure you're out of danger." Daisuke sweatdropped. In a nutshell, they walked for ages in the dark until they came to a really small door that even Daisuke had to stoop to get through. They opened it into a dappled-sunlight filled area. It was in a forest, though Daisuke didn't know where and the old woman wouldn't say.

" But, if that madman follows the tunnel, won't he find this place really easily?"

" No. It now leads to somewhere entirely different. Your old Grandma still has a few tricks left. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but the old dog sure as hell can remember the old ones. Now, stop questioning me and get inside." Without realising it, Daisuke noticed they'd reached a cottage. A cute little thing, right in the middle of the forest, covered on one side in ivy and honeyblossom. It had a thatch roof, and wooden beams, and looked like something from a fairytale. (Which this is, but don't spoil the moment people!) When they got inside, Daisuke sat on a chair at a little wooden table while his Nana served tea, and he thought about his parents. Those two smiling figures that he'd never see again.

" Nana, mother an father will go to Heaven, right?" He asked, hoping to have someting to cling to from his past life. But his Grandmother had never been Christian, she was Pagan mixed in with some cooky beliefs she'd cooked up herself, and so didn't tell him what he wanted to hear.

" Nope, don't be silly. They're trapped here on Earth, bound to it until they have nothing left here that they once affected. But Daisuke, they are still with you. They _created_ you boy, they'll be here protecting you, loving you, like they always have." She lay an old, gnarled hand on his shoulder in an attempt at comfort.

" Thank you Nana."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Daisuke spent days, weeks, months in the forest, and soon began to come to terms with it as his new home. He loved being able to be outside, as a normal person could do. He'd never missed the outside world before, simply because he'd never really seen it. The palace gardens were nothing like the forest, and he understood why Nana had liked to escape to her little magic cottage through the secret door. it was a bit like _The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe_ and _The Secret Garden_ all rolled into one. He missed is old home, but new that he'd never be able to go back. Not until that man was caught...

The snow had begun to fall a few months before, and the forest was covered in snow, and it seemed all life had frozen over until the end of Winter. Until then he was stuck with the woods, the cottage and...

" I hate chores. The good thing about being a prince is the servants, and the food. Yeah, the food was great." He began to hum to himself as he chopped the wood. However, there wasn't enough. He'd have to go into the forest and collect some more, although he wouldn't really mind. There wasn't much to do if you had no work to complete. He climbed over the fallen trunk and landed on the beaten dirt track. Following it, he passed every shade of green imaginable. The sun fell in pools on the ground where the first bluebells were beginning to show. He was simply looking around when he noticed something white. He pressed on towards it, pushing aside branches and leaves. It was a horse, however it backed away every time he got near.

" Come on, I won't hurt you." It backed into a clearing and Daisuke saw it was saddled and brideled. But the forest was deep and full of dangers, no locals from the closest village, (Which was pretty far away anyway...) would come this far in. He thought perhaps it was lost. Maybe with it's owner in tow? He hadn't had any human contact besides Nana for so long, it would be wonderful to talk with someone else.

" Hello? Is there anyone there?" He took hold of the reigns and began to lead the horse out of the clearing when he realised: "Oh no, I'm...Lost!"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Forgetful: Yay, wasn't it crappy?

Maikeru: Yup.

Forgetful: (Whacks Maikeru with broom.) You can shut up right now. I'm not pleased with this at all, but it'll have to do as I am NOT doing it again. I just finished watching Gravitation people! Crappy ending, and I hated how it switched from chibi to serious, but the storyline was good enough, and it had lovable characters. So, yeah. Otherwise, I apologise for the crappyness. but it should get better when Satoshi comes in. (I like writing about Satoshi...) So ya', wait for chapter 2! If you Go Down to The Woods Today...

Shoichi: We also apologise for the quick ending, it would have been more descriptive, only our dear Authoress had only a mere ten minutes to finish. And she's too lazy to re-write it. (Sweatdrop) A thousand apologies for spelling mistakes.

Ja ne!


	2. If You Go Down To The Woods Today

Forgetful: Me again. If you've continued reading, then I am very grateful. I am so not happy with this. Struggling on when you have writer's block is never good.

Maikeru: Yeah, but you have constant writer's block.

Forgetful: (Whacks Maikeru HARD with broom.) Bleh.

Maikeru: OW!

Shoichi: Serves you right. As her muse, you should be helping, not hindering your owner.

Maikeru: What? So I'm owned now?

Shoichi: Of course!

Forgetful: You were always owned, I made you.You can't actually go anywhere else. Moron...

If you want disclaimer and warnings, they're in chapter 1. Extra warning: Changes of POV. I'm not very good with those, but they're in here...

**Sleeping Beauty**

Chapter 2 - If You Go Down to The Woods Today...

So, he was lost. No big deal. Just go back the way you came right? Wrong. _I didn't come this way. I've seen that twig before, and that stump! Damn it, I'm going in circles...Wha!_

The horse he'd been aimlessly leading around had gotten bored and had begun to pull in another direction. It seemed to have some form of an internal compass.

" Well I don't know where I'm going, so following you wouldn't hurt, right?" He patted the animal's neck and it continued plodding along. It was a fine white mare, probably very expensive. Daisuke wondered who it belonged to. (AN: I bet you're already guessing who the owner is too. Yeah, well keep guessing 'cause I have yet to choose from three candidates who it will be, exactly.) The horse appeared to be missing its rider, and Daisuke's stomach was missing any edible substance.

" I wonder, would you let me ride you? I guess I won't know until I try..." Throwing back his white cloak, (I know, all white, but I just thought a lost Daisuke on a white horse in a white cloak riding through snow...AWWW, so kaiwaii! Don't you all agree?) He dilicately hooked one foot into a stirrup and pulled himself up. Although visions of the horse bucking and throwing him off plagued his thoughts, he calmly (On the outside at least...) Sat into the saddle. And oh, was it ever good to sit down after all that walking! He dug his feet gently into the horse's side and it began to trot forward. _Wow, I'm actually riding her! I didn't think I'd get this girl to take me on her back..._

And this, children, is a common case of counting your eggs before they hatch, for the horse chose that moment to bolt into the unsuspecting forest. She ploughed through snow drifts and jumped more than her share of logs by the time Daisuke had managed to calm her. He draped both legs over her left side and she suddenly seemed much more content, at ease with her surroundings, although she'd known the place her whole life. Which she probably had, considering the way she'd found her way there.

" Where have you brought me to?" He could hear cascading water, unusual since most would be frozen over. Sure enough, as she plodded on he could make out the blues and purples and whites of a frothing waterfall. It fell vertically from the cliffside above, smashing into rocks on the way down, giving the impression of a constant shower of diamonds.

(AN: Just a little side note, I now know who the rider is. Yay.)

He urged the horse on, and with one final step the watery sun broke through the trees on the frozen scene. The waterfall fell into a lake frosted at the edges. The trees, most without leaves, had frozen drops of water glistening from their branches and frost crept along the velvet-green moss. It was a scene straight from the most beautiful story, a poem worked on by every poet in the world. Breathtaking.

And in the middle, on a rock by the falling water, sat a figure. He looked up as Daisuke approached, and Daisuke realised he was probably riding the boy's horse.

" Is...Is she yours?" Daisuke asked tentively. The boy stood up. He had ice blue hair that matched the snow, and eyes that matched the sky. (AN: You know who it is now, right?) He couldn't have been more than a year older than Daisuke himself, and yet had a sort of aura that made him seem superior. he seemed to fit perfectly with the scene...just...perfect.

Satoshi POV (Yup, you got it right. I hope at least.):

I'd been waiting for my horse for a while. I often let her wander, she seems to find her way back easily, and I like to sit alone. It was my favourite place, still is, the clearing by the cliff where the waterfall lands. It always looked best in the winter, and I couldn't bear to leave it. Of course though, I would have been expected back any time soon by then, so, reluctantly I got up to call her back. She didn't come after two calls, sharp whistles that pierced the silence. I gave up and slumped onto a rock. I was damned if I wasn't going to use this as an excuse to stay longer. It was fine by me, I didn't want to go back, I never want to go back. Ever.

I heard her after a while. Of course, as soon as I sat down for an extra half hour she would come back. That's how lucky I am. She entered the clearing with a flourish, shaking her mane as though she'd achieved something great. I looked up, and found why.

On her back sat...I don't know...an angel. A snow angel, that rode through the frost on a pure white mare. It took a moment for me to realise it was my horse he was riding on. He had a white cape that flowed down her side, billoeing around her legs. His hair, red like fire, seemed to fright away the cold. And now I sound like a poet. But...you just wouldn't be able to describe him without being poetic. Especially when he spoke, let Angels blush at his voice.

" Is...Is she yours?" I shook myself out of my stupor. It wasn't like me at all to ramble on like that, and it scared me to some extent.

" Yes. Thank you, for bringing her back." I replied, although mentally I was thanking the horse for bringing this wonder to me. He smiled. Screw Them, I'd pick my waterfall and this boy over Them any day. I walked over to him to help him down. There was something odd about the whole thing. No-one ever came into these depths of the forest in winter, and no-one lived nearby except...The little old lady in her cottage. Maybe he was her relation? But no-one but her was ever there. At least, not until now. And he rode the horse...like my Mother. Only royalty would ever ride a horse in such a way. Most people rode practically, with warm, durable clothes and a leg either side.

Instead of slipping on questions I couldn't answer, I put my arms around his waist and helped him down. He seemed surprised and I surpressed a smile when he gasped as I slid him off.

Normal POV:

Daisuke landed on the frosty ground (AN: Yes, I do like the word frost.) in front of the stranger. His hands, in his surprise at being pulled off his...ahem...the, horse had latched onto the boy's shoulders, and the boy still had slender fingers resting on Daisuke's waist. He blushed and turned away, letting go, swiftly changing the situation.

" She led me here really. I was sort of lost. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Daisuke." He held out a (Freezing cold) ungloved hand.

" Satoshi." The ice-boy replied. He took off a black, leather glove and they shook. " You're freezing. You must have been wandering for hours. Where have you come from?" Satoshi frowned. It wasn't good to be out in cold weather wearing so little.

" I don't really know...Somewhere in the forest with my Grandmother. A cottage?" Satoshi had been right. (AN: Of course, I am the authoress, so he's practically always right.)

" I know where that is."

" Wow, well that's helpful." (Yeah, totally convinient.) Daisuke grinned and sat down on a hollow log, dislodging the powdery snow. He swung his legs. "Could you...show me the way home?"

" Sure, we'll go now. Get back on the horse, it's just a few miles." Satoshi gestured to the patiently waiting mare.

" No! No I couldn't, she's your horse and I already rode her all the way here...-" Protested Daisuke, waving his hands in front of his face.

" And you walked for hours before that. And so you will ride her and if you don't I'll walk off and leave you here." Satoshi threatened. He smirked when Daisuke's eyes grew wide.

" But, you, that's not fair!"

" You'll collapse if I let you walk. So stop arguing and get on the horse." Silence ensued until Daisuke sighed.

" You win." _Although I'm not sure I mind losing._ He pulled himself up and Satoshi took the reigns to lead. The horse turned around, and they began the long trek back through the sparkling forest.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Forgetful: Oh the corn! The evil, corney, cringeworthy...CORN!

Shoichi: It wasn't that bad.

Forgetful: It was! (Cries rivers) And if you notice I call the horse a boy (No, it doesn't have a name yet. Give me an idea in your reviews, go on, you know you want to.) then well done for realising. I did check through, but as I changed its gendre about ten times I probably missed one or two.

Maikeru: (In a monotone voice) Forgetful, Shoichi and I would also like to personally thank Lunarkitty14 and ShadowIcePrinsses for being her first reviewers.

Forgetful: Yay, go you two!

Shoichi; Yes, we are most grateful.

Ja ne!


	3. Footprints In Snow

Forgetful: Yay! Chapter 3!

Maikeru: Yay. Whu hoo, note the dripping sarcasm.

Shoichi: Welcome to another happy day among the Muses readers.

Forgetful: Yes. And oh! What a beautiful morning.

Shoichi: (deadpans) It's twenty to one, PM.

Forgetful: Whatever! I'm hyper because I've eaten nothing but chocolate raisins and sour Chewits for Breakfast! Yay!

Maikeru: Good for you. Be afraid readers, be very afraid. (Sweatdrop)

Forgetful; Oh, and I must warn you that I'm obsessed with storms. (Wink wink nudge nudge.) Amongst other things. I think that being stuck in a storm is quite romantic. So yeah, you know what's gonna' happen in this chapter. A million thanks to Tenshi, ccsbrat and Icydragonfire, and again to Lunarkitty14 and ShadowIcePrinsses. If you want warnings then...LOOK BEHIND YOU! IT'S A GIANT FANGIRL-EATING MONSTER! (Runs away)

Shoichi: Thoughts are in Italics!

* * *

**Sleeping Beauty**

Chapter 3 - Footprints In Snow

The sky was darkening, but not because of the evening.

" It looks like we have a storm coming." Satoshi observed, looking up at the clouds churning in the sky.

" Really? Will we get back in time?" Daisuke asked fearfully. His only knowledge of storms was from the stories his father had told of his voyages across the sea. Winds that knocked over men and seas that swallowed ships whole, rain that lashed like whips and clouds that bellowed war cries and stabbed with forks of white light.

" Frightened?" Satoshi teased.

" A bit." Admitted Daisuke. " I've never been in a storm before. Is it, is it really dangerous?"

" They can be, but this one would only be dangerous if...Oh." He was going to say a snow storm was only dangerous if you weren't dressed properly, and Daisuke wasn't. He could remedy that though, they'd just have to get Daisuke home quickly. " It doesn't matter. We'll get back in plenty of time."

" Okay." Daisuke appeared to have complete trust in Satoshi even though he'd only just met him.

Satoshi POV:

He's so naive, and _innocent_. He's probably never even imagined some of the things in the real world. I could lead him into a pack of wolves and leave him there. So trusting. He must have had a very sheltered upbringing. Not really surprising, especially since he's been raised in a forest away from the real world anyway, at least to my knowledge, but you'd think he'd know _something_. Like not to completely rely on the kindness of strangers. I took out my watch. A little silver thing, intricate and pretty. It said it was three fifteen, meaning the darkness would soon swallow the shining snow. (Right now, since I left the computer to answer the phone, it's actually five to three. But, hey.)_ If we don't reach the cottage in the next hour, then it's going to be dark _and_ stormy._

Normal POV:

Satoshi thought to himself. And then there was the little matter of him needing to get home...

"So." His thoughts were interrupted by the redhead at his side." Why are you so far out in the forest? I would have thought it too cold for just...sitting."

" It's my escape from the world. And you? How did you get lost? I've never known anyone to be living with Lady Cassandra."

Lady Cassandra, so Satoshi knew who his grandmother was. Daisuke wondered how.

" My parents...Both recently died. And so I came here to live with Cassandra, my Nana. I was looking for firewood when I saw your horse. She got me lost and then found again I guess." Daisuke smiled, though his eyes showed him to be in an unhappy place in his thoughts.

" I'm sorry." Satoshi comforted uneasily." About your parents I mean. But Cassandra is a good woman, and this is a good place." Daisuke smiled warmly.

"Thanks, I already love it. It's beautiful."

" It is." A loud whinney from the horse alerted them to the drop ahead. " Oh!" There was a steep bank that led down to a frozen river, probably a tributary from the plunge pool of the waterfall." Well, we'll have to go round then I guess. I'm sorry, I don't know the forest very well when the paths are covered. And though this girl knows her way," He patted the neck of the horse he was leading back round the way they came." She seems to enjoy getting me into awkward situations." Daisuke laughed.

" Apparently she likes doing that to everyone. Does she have a name?"

" Well...No. She doesn't, I don't name things." Satoshi frowned. God knows what he'd ever call a horse..." Why don't you give her a name for me?" (AN: I'd do something corny where the horse shook her head at the name she liked, but come on people, it's a _horse_.)

" Really? Alright. Umm..." Satoshi smiled as Daisuke slipped into a mask of concentration. " Icicle, snowdrop? No, too common. Lucy? No, she needs something special...I know!"

" Have you decided?" _That was quick..._

" Yeah, Flour." Daisuke beamed and Satoshi almost fell over. But, him being Satoshi, managed to stay upright and composed. Although it was kind of cute, both the name and its creator.

" Flour. Huh, well, I'm sure she'll like it." They finally reached the point where the river split, and there was a rotting sign post. Satoshi knew the way off by heart, thankfully, but he also knew that it would take far to long to get there. Still, he'd try, for both their sakes." We should follow the river from here." They'd stopped at the sign, and as Satoshi began leading the horse on again, he heard a yell and the reigns were ripped from his hands." Kuso, Daisuke!"

Daisuke was still on the horse as she slipped down the bank toward the icey, churning depths of the river. She bucked and smashed her hooves into the hard packed snow of the bank, but to no avail. They landed in the black cold just a moment later.

Daisuke couldn't breath, the temprature brutally snatched the oxygen from his lungs and the logical thought process from his brain. The river hadn't frozen very well by the bank, and he slipped right through the ice, along with Flour. Faintly he could hear Satoshi's frantic calls, but the river soon drowned them. He was alone.

Satoshi POV:

I didn't think, I simply acted. Before I even realised what I was doing, my cape, shoes and shirt were discarded by my bare feet and I launched myself into the river. Its temprature immidiatly sapped my strength. It was all I could do to keep my head above water let alone find my horse and her precious cargo. By sheer miracle I saw a fleeting glimpse of white and swam towards it with all determination I had ever experianced and more. I was not going to die, and Daisuke was not going to die. And that bloody troublsome horse of mine was not going to die damnit!

I finally felt warmth through the numbness of my fingers, (My toes weren't quite so lucky at that point though,) and I latched onto it. Pulling it close I found it to be Daisuke, and he was shivering. God knows I was.

Together we swam clumsilly to the surface and broke it with a gasp. Somehow we made it to the bank, and my stupid, good-for-nothing mare was stood at the top of the steep side blinking down at us. Her hoof marks were welcomed niches that I used to haul us both up, and the sudden wind that had started up whipped snow flurries into my face. Great, even the weather was against us.

Shadows were creeping up through the trees, and I knew we were in just as much danger out of the river as we were in it.

" Come on. In this weather, and considering we're wet, we have to find somewhere dry to spend the night." I pulled the white cape from his shoulders and replaced it with my dry brown one. His was drenched, the white furr around the edge soaked so it resembled a drowned dead animal. It frightened me that it could have been us. Shrugging my shirt back on I grabbed his hand and my shoes. The mare had done well on her own thus far and could cope on her own. She'd have to.

Daisuke sneezed and I rolled my eyes. That was just what I needed right then, Daisuke suffering with pnumonia. I saw the cliffs I used to play around as a boy, at least I knew where we were.

" I know where we can go." I pulled him faster towards the site of a past landslide. I knew that here we could find a few rocks to block the wind. Although if either of us really did get pnimonia then we were lost since no wood would be dry enough for a fire. Shoving him in first, I followed and the horse came after, of course she was rather big and took up more than enough room. Her body heat however would be useful. Daisuke had collapsed onto the floor on his knees, and I gently pushed him against the horse who was on her side. He tried to say something but I 'shh'ed him and soon he was dead to the world. I curled up next to them both and watched his sleeping face, but with the threat of wolves, ice and Daisuke's health hanging over my head, sleep was slow to come to me that night.

* * *

Forgetful: Okay, done.

Shoichi: I want more! Pleeeeaase...?

Forgetful: Really?

Maikeru: No.

Forgetul: Okay!

* * *

In the middle of the night:

The two slumbering figures didn't stir through the storm. Both exhausted from the dager, adrenilin and cold, but in their little den a silver sheet of snow blew without wind. The beautiful white horse dissipated and in her stead was left a young woman. Her flaming hair and pale complexion was barely visible in the night, and she lent down and kissed one of the boys. To the other she spoke only a few words;

" Take good care of my son Satoshi." And with that the snow woman was gone, and only the horse and the boys remained once more.

* * *

Forgetful: There.

Shoichi: Thank you.

Maikeru: You have to drag this on for as long as possible don't you?

Forgetful: My readers wanted longer chapters, so pull whatever crawled up your ass and died out, and GET OVER IT!

Maikeru: (Cowars) Okay...


	4. Spaces In Time

Forgetful: Here we are once more. Nothing much to put except thanks for reviewing. Enjoy!

Maikeru: Like anyone actually _does_ enjoy this. OW! What the hell was that for?

Forgetful: Shut up, you lazy, good for nothing little sh...

Shoichi: Warnings in chapter 1. And Forgetful does not own DNAngel.

**Sleeping Beauty**

Chapter 4 - Spaces In Time

Satoshi woke to the sound of water dripping. He groggilly noted that the horse was about to squash him and that the exit was partially blocked, but didn't much care until the horse landed on him.

" Get off me, irritating beast!" He yelled at its sleeping backside. Daisuke was woken by the noise and giggled. " Don't laugh, help me!" (Picture a little throbbing vein at this point on Satoshi's forehead. Oh, and the lower half of his body stuck under a horse's butt.) The horse was eventually shifted and they broke out into the open air without much difficulty. " Maybe we can actually _get_ to Cassandra's house now..."

" Satoshi?" Satoshi's mumbling was cut off by a meek Daisuke.

" Yeah?" He turned round.

" Thank you, for everything. Just...Thank you so much." Daisuke made circles in the snow wth his toe, and Satoshi barely made out the words, but he got the message.

" Don't mention it," He dropped a still damp cape on Daisuke's head. " Really." Daisuke peeked out from under his once nice cape.  
" Okay, but...Why mrmrmrmrrrm..." He murmered the last part, and as you've probably guessed Satoshi is NOT a morning person, so he wasn't in a very patient mood.

" What?"

" I asked why you saved me." Satoshi was stuck there. Why? Why was a good, hard to answer and irritating question. He'd saved him because...because. Because he felt something?

" Satoshi, are you okay?" Satoshi's head snapped up.

" Yes. And I saved you because it was the right thing to do. You would have done the same for me." Daisuke sweatdropped.

" Yeah, sure..."

Satoshi POV (...ish):

That's so annoying! I saved him because it was right.

_But you wouldn't have saved anyone else because it was...ahem...'right'._

But he isn't just 'anyone'.

_Ah, then what is he to you, exactly?_ I was vaguely aware that I was having a conversation with myself, but I didn't honestly care at that point.

He is a...an aquaintance.

_There are people back at your home who are more than aquaintances, and you'd have stood there and smiled as they drowned in most cases._

That's different.

_How?_

It just is.

_Right. You keep telling yourself that there's nothing going on here..._

I never said that.

_Ha! So there _is_ something going on!_

SHUT UP!

Normal POV:

Daisuke had refused to ride the horse again, but he hated walking on foot. Especially in his damp clothes. And to make it worse, he sneezed every few minutes.

" ACHOO!"

" Bless you." Satoshi replied with the same monotone blessing every time. It was almost as annoying as the sneeze itself, and Daisuke was starting to wonder if time was repeating itself.

" This sucks." He complained, kicking a twig and then frowning when he realised it was embedded in the snow and wouldn't move. When he looked up he could see the cottage through the trees. " We're back!" He ran toward the little dwelling, and Satoshi was left alone to tie up the horse. He led it to the stables, mostly run down in their disuse, and when he finally pushed open the door to the cottage his ears were bombarded.

" You foolish child! Good Lord, I rescue you and you repay me by going out and almost DYING ANYWAY! I never got any thanks from your Mother either. Ungratful offspring, the lot of you. Get into that bed right now and get warm." At least the woman had been right about one thing, it was warm. Satoshi gratefully helped himself to a chair and sat down in the blissfull heat before the fire, he could just see Daisuke and Cassandra through the open door of the boy's bedroom.

" Good morning Cassandra."

" Hello. And thank you for almost drowning my ONLY GRANDCHILD!" She yelled.

" You're welcome." He replied coolly.

" You keep up that attitude and you'll be out in the snow. " The old woman snorted. " And you can get that shirt off now, you're not sleeping in wet clothes." Daisuke's eyes went wide.

"But Satoshi's...-"

" I don't care, he doesn't care, get over it." She tapped the side of Daisuke's head with the back of her hand, and he removed his shirt with a blush. Satoshi tore his eyes away from the scene, for fear that his hormones would get the better of him. That wouldn't be easy to explain. " You have a fever! Oh for pity's sake, you _are_ a bother. Bed, NOW. And Satoshi?" She squawked.

" Hm?"

" It's 11:58.You may need to get home." It was Satoshi's turn to watch with wide eyes and he was soon out of the door with a rushed goodbye. Cassandra began the assult barely moments after he'd gone. " Disappointed Dai?" She asked.

" It's not...-"

" He'll be back." She scurried away and began to set the pot up for dinner.

" Are you sure?" Daisuke snuggled into the covers, savouring the warm comfort.

" Sure as I'll ever be. He'll be back tomorrow," She trailed off." And I can't wait to hear his excuse."

The Next Day:

Daisuke was rudely woken by a knock on the wooden door. He heard it open, and was wide awake as soon as he realised it was Satoshi's voice talking to his Nana.

" Is he okay?"

" Fine. The fever went down overnight, no thanks to you, but he's staying in bed for as long as I can force him. I'll take no chances, he's very important, both as my grandson and as...other things."

" I'm sorry. I truly hope he's well soon."

" Well, that's all well and good, but try not to call round often. You only make the idea of sneeking out when he needs rest more appealing."

" You will tell him I came though...?"

" Of course. It would be rude not to." The conversation stopped, and Daisuke heard the door close. He longed to be back outside, snow or no snow.

Satoshi rode back through the forest on 'Flour', taking his time and pondering over the new feelings that threatened to rise up and overwhelm him.

_I'll just ignore it, all of it. It's the sort of thing you can trust to sort itself out. I'm sure...-_

" Holy !#$!" Flour nearly fell over when another horse, this one jet black, sped out in front of her. It carried on running past and a shout came from it's rider.

" No time for daydreaming Satoshi. Get your ass in gear and beat me for once!"

" You're on!" Satoshi dug his heel into Flour's side and she was off, flying over the morning snow and on toward the raging rider ahead.

" Tut tut, you're not as fast as you used to be my friend. I think someone needs a work out!"

" I'll show you a work out!" Satoshi veered off course and took a path to the side. He veered around trees and bushes, expertly dodging and weeving. Flour's hooves thudded on the ground. The tunnel was ahead, he knew. The cliff in front of him was covered in choking ivy, and as he sped toward it it looked to be a head on collision, but he passed right through.

" Damn ivy." He muttered, brushing off the stray ivy-strands from his shoulders. the thudding became a harsh echo in the tunnel of rock, probably carved by dwarves hundreds of years before. Useful for beating people in races.

A circular-ish hole of light grew as he neared it, and he urged the horse on. Suddenly the cave was gone, replaced by the harsh sunlight and the slowly waning forest. The trees became sparser here, it was the edge of the forest, but Satoshi was still able to stay hidden until...

" Woah!' With a screamed whinney from the black horse and a yelp from its rider, the two were on the floor while Satoshi watched amused atop his white steed.

" Looks like I beat you, 'for once', Dark." The beaten figure got up from the forest floor and grumbled his reply;

" Yeah well. You always win round here, I swear you have a shortcut."

" Through the forest? How is that possible?" Satoshi asked, smirking. Dark brushed off the dust and twigs and calmed his horse before climbing back on.

" With you, anything's possible. But don't do that again, you know it upsets Wiz." Satoshi nodded in agreement. " I came to find you, your Father's gone whacko again. Every day Satoshi, and I'm always the one that gets blamed. Can't you just for once stay in the castle?" Dark asked, verging on annoyance.

" There you go again with that saying. 'For once'. Perhaps I should ignore Father 'for once', let him stew in his overdressed cave with it's servants and court. He doesn't need me anymore anyway. Nobody needs me." It was true. Satoshi knew that he had been born souly for an heir and for an alliance with another kingdom. Now, his BEEPhole of a father was marrying that witch, they'd have more heirs which would take his place as king, their right's proceeding over his thanks to his poor health. It also meant that his father was marrying into another kingdom, so he wasn't needed for that either. He was a completely useless factor that helped nothing.

" Satoshi." Dark said, as though it were the only thing he could say, he trotted Wiz closer to the prince. " Please don't think like that, we've been over this, you arn't expendable. Everyone would know if harm befell you it was most likely..._his_ doing, and he couldn't take that chance. Besides, I need you, along with Risa and Riku." Dark soothed, knowing his words would calm down the prince. They both knew he was right. And Risa and Riku did both need him. They hadn't wanted their mother to marry again, they had loved their father dearly, and the fact that the princesses hadn't wanted the marrage had given Satoshi and them some common ground. A friendship had stemmed from that between the unwilling siblings. And Dark, Dark and Satoshi had been together since they were very young. Although to outsider it seemed as though they argued non-stop, really they were as close as brothers. Dark was the son of a trusted knight in the king's army, and because Satoshi's father thought his son might need social skills, he asked for the boy to be employed as a personal servant to the prince. Satoshi knew he wouldn't be the same person had Dark not been in his life. (Aww, but no. No DarkxSat action people, just friends.(: Onward!)

" I know you're right. My life, it just has no purpose any more." _Then again...perhaps, now, and that dream... _Dark began to ride away, and called back, choosing to ignore Satoshi's barely audible remark.

" Come on, we both know what'll happen if we're any later than we are already." Satoshi sighed and caught up. It was going to be a long night.

Forgetful: He he, as you probably guessed, Satoshi remembers the visit from the strange lady, but doesn't remember that she was the horse. Just to clear that up. Also, I have introduced Satoshi's sire, and the Harada twins. They are happilly out of the way so they won't be a burden to my matchmaking! (grins)

Shoichi: Satoshi's dad sounds mean.

Maikeru: Probably, she always has to have some, albeit minor, angst somewhere.

Forgetful: And what's more evil that parents?

OOOH! Riddle for you all. First reviewer to figure it out, I will send chapter 5 to before it is beta'd or published. Here goes:

What is more powerful than God,

More evil than the devil, (or parents)

Rich people want it,

Poor people have it,

And if you eat it you'll die?

Answer in chapter 5, called Freedom's Imprisonment. Oh, and Angel of Symphonia, you can't say 'cause you know!

Maikeru: Is the answer 'you'?

Forgetful: No, I am powerful as an authoress and I am evil and you _would_ die if you ate me, but rich people don't want me, even if the poor folk have me. (sniff)


	5. Freedom's Imprisonment

Forgetful: Okay, so I put off writing this chapter for as long as possible. I'm sorry! There's just something about this story that I don't like, even though it's got such a wonderful response from all you reviewers. I don't know what it is, it just comes across to me as cliche, grating and cheesy. Bleh.

Maikeru: Everything you do is corny.

Shoichi: I'll agree that this has a degree of cheesiness...

Forgetful: (glare) Anyway, I'm gonna' give it a shot now. --; Wish me luck. Luck because I have a headache, the computer screen isn't helping, I got a B on my Religious Education test (Rediculous education more like), there are abhorent spelling errors in the chapters prior to this one and I have absolutely no plot. But have no fear! For I have an idea, and this fic will be finished by the new year. THAT IS MY DEADLINE. I finished a fic in a week, whole, so I can do this and WILL. Something to look forward to guys.

**Sleeping Beauty**

Chapter 5-Freedom's Imprisonment

By Forgetful...who's status at the moment is 'sleepy'. This chapter's undertitle: I Have A Secret.

Four days had passed since the race and Daisuke's cold. Satoshi had visited on the third day, which Daisuke's Nana had found hilarous for some reason. Daisuke couldn't think why, he ran the scene over in his head once more, he supposed Satoshi had been acting a little odd. But he didn't know the boy yet, it wasn't his place to say if anything was out of the ordinary.

_Flashie Backie!_

The knocking came and Daisuke practically fell out of bed at the idea that his intense boredom might be broken for a few moments. Nana Cassandra (as we shall call her in this, either that or it's just 'Nana' or 'Cassandra', depending on POV.) opened the door and gave a triumphant smirk at seemingly nothing, as it was only Satoshi standing there.

" Why hello. And what would bring you here, hmm?" She asked, but the next part Dai couldn't quite catch. Of course Nana knew exactly what she was doing."Couldn't stay away? And so the history book is repeated once more."

" What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Satoshi demanded, fuming, well, he was red enough to be fuming at least. Daisuke just laughed at his expression from his bed, noticing his Nana seemed undeniably smug about something.

" Thanks for coming!" He called, grabbing the blue-haired boy's attention once more. He'd missed his new friend, his only remaining friend alive...

" Daisuke? Are you alright?"

" What? Oh, yeah, I healed up great thanks! Nana, can I go out today?" He swiftly changed the subject, he couldn't let himself dwell on what had been lost.

" Absolutely! Not. If you want to go outside you'll have to wait until tomorrow, at _least_." Nana wagged an accusing finger at his face from across the room. Let me tell you, there's no way to dissuade a old woman with her mind set on something. Besides, winter fevers were never enjoyable, and Daisuke really didn't want it to come back. He bowed his head and mumbled a reluctant 'yeah...'

" I'll be at the waterfall tomorrow, I'm there when I can be. Mostly in the mornings. Perhaps we could meet up there...?" Satoshi asked vaguely. Daiske grinned and nodded enthusiasticly.

" Sure, great! I'll be there around ten." Satoshi squeezed the redhead's hand and picked up his coat from where he'd slung it over a chair.

" Tomorrow then Daisuke."

" Tomorrow."

_End Flashie Backie!_

Daisuke was now wandering through the forest toward the waterfall. His boots were getting soaked but, as wet as it was, it was no longer frozen. In fact, a lot of the ice was melting as spring made its way in. Trees had a little colour, albeit brown, and the solid-ice streams had begun to flow with vigour. It was pretty, but still cold.

He marveled at the first few shoots braving the frost, their tiny forms surviving stubbornly, and this is probably why he fell.

" You okay?" A voice came from the side of him. Releasing the tree he had in his grip, the one thing that had kept him upright after his little tumble, Daisuke looked up to see a smirking face.

Leaning against a tree was another man. Randomly walking into people in a forest seemed to be common. His clothes were dark, his hair a vibrant shade of violet, and he was sat on a large tree root with his back against the trunk.

" Um, yes, thank you." Daisuke replied. "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" The man stood up and bowed gracefully.

" I am Dark Mousey, and you?"

" Daisuke." Daisuke guessed, more from the bow than anything, that Dark was someone accustommed to court. He had an air of arrogance about him though, one that most courtiers would be shunned for. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go, I promised to meet someone." Dark nodded.

" I have to find someone too. Perhaps we shall meet again, Daisuke."

" Perhaps."

Daisuke found Satoshi where he'd promised, Flour ignoring the both of them in favour of the sparse clumps of grass pushing valiently from the snow.

" You're feeling better then?"

" Much, thank you." Pulling from his bag a shiny green apple, Daisuke tempted Flour over. "There's a girl."

" I think she misses you when she's back home in her stable." Satoshi commented.

" Really? I always liked horses." Satoshi smiled, then climbed into the saddle.

" Come on, lets ride. I have a place I want to show you." Helping Daisuke up in front of him, and bracing him with one hand on his waist, Satoshi pushed the horse into a trot. They left the forest, and began following a trail that led up a rocky cliffside.

Dark called back his stallion, Wiz, and pulled himself onto the sleek black horse's back. He rode at speed through the forest._Where are you Satoshi?_

His father and Satoshi's father had been friends, and he believed this was the only reason he hadn't been severely hurt. He didn't know if this bond would be enough in the future though, and right then he feared for the workers back at the citadel. Maids, Ladies in waiting, serving boys and butlers all had been hurt in one way or another at some point. Mostly because something had upset Satoshi's father.

At theat point, something _had_ upset Satoshi's father. And he wanted his son to come back and...well, he was probably just looking for an anger outlet. Satoshi's absence was punishable, and he wanted to get his friend back before anyone noticed.

" Damn." The waterfall clearing was empty.

The top had been hard to reach, but it was worth it for the view. They could see out across the whole forest, and beyond that the smoke from the village and the palace that sat in the city.

" Is that where you live?' Daisuke asked, pointing to the city. It was just like his own, perhaps a bit smaller.

" Yes. It's much nicer here, I assure you."  
" Satoshi! Thank god I found you, your Father knows you're gone, we have to...-"

" Mister Mousey?"

" Daisuke?" Dark blinked at the boy for a moment, the pieces clicking together in his mind. So that was why, no never mind, there were much more pressing matters to attend to. "Satoshi, home, _now._ I'm sorry Daisuke, but some bad news has come up." Daisuke nodded seriously.

" Can you get home alright?" He nodded again. "Okay, don't get lost." Satoshi handed the reins that held Flour to Daisuke.

" Good luck Satoshi."

" Thank you." Dark led Satoshi to Wiz, who was tied to a stump.

" Get on then."

" Wait, Dark...-"

" There's no time!"

" You know as well as I do that it's likely I'll never be able to see him again." Dark was silent, until he hung his head and sighed.

" Alright. Be quick Satoshi, you owe me." Satoshi smiled, a rare genuine thing that was the most thanks he was capable of giving. Running back to the clearing, he saw Daisuke looking out over the city, and he took his shoulder and turned him round. Daisuke looked confused, but had no time to say anything as Satoshi leant in and captured his lips, pulling him close and holding his so tightly he thought he'd never let go. Eventually he pulled away.

" If you never see me again, I am truly sorry. Know it is not what I wish." Satoshi whispered, before whistlign to Flour and pushing Daisuke in her direction. By the time Daisuke had steadied himself and the horse, Satoshi was gone.

Enchanted by your smile


	6. Satoshi's Choice

Warning: Violence and gore ahead! CHARACTER TORTURE. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. None of this happened in the series. This is no way associated to the original material and I don't own it. The pairings are vaguely implied though...

For Neko-Warren.

**Chapter 6**

Satoshi's Choice

When Satoshi and Dark finally got back to the palace, the place was in turmoil. The advisors and army generals rushed about, maps and war plans carried in burdened arms, and sevrants kept as far away from the Master's rooms as possible.

Satoshi had no such luxury.

" Father, you wanted me?"

" Ungrateful brat! You're supposed to be dealing with the western front. Where the hell were you?" His father bellowed, attractive features drawn back into a snarl. "I should have you locked up with your mother." He backhanded his son across the cheek, and Satoshi grit his teeth. "Because you weren't doing your job fast enough, I sent that sorcerer to that whoreson Kosuke's kingdom. You want to know the consequences of that? The royal family are dead, the people are scattered across the land and the kingdom is in tatters."

" That is a good outcome, my lord, I should have moved faster and acted with your confidence."

" Silence, insolent child! Your ignorant eyes are missing the problem. That villainous bastard sorcerer has become insubordinate, and the heir has escaped. Not only is he alive, but he is under his mother's _death protection._ Do you realise just how difficult it will be to take over Kosuke's kingdom when he has a live blood-heir with the former Queen's blessing upon his crowned head?"

" Yes my Lord."

" You are worthless, get out of my sight! You are not to leave your rooms. I'll send the Mousey boy up with food for you when I believe you have been punished enough." Satoshi left, and let out a relieved sigh when the doors behind him closed. His father must truly be troubled by the sorcerer if he was willing to let him off with such a lax punishment.

Dark came hurrying up the corridor, and he hugged him when he saw he was still in one piece.

" I thought he was going to tear you apart," The dark-haired boy worried. "You are alright, Satoshi?"

" Fine Dark. I just have to go up to my rooms, and starve until my Father remembers I exist." Dark grinned.

" I'll bring you food off his very plate."

" Don't get yourself into trouble." Satoshi warned. Dark just shrugged.

" My middle name, 'fraid."

Dark left not long after Satoshi and he got back to his chambers. Satoshi sat playing solitaire, a game that consisted of small balls being moved around a board with indents in it. His mother had had it made for him.

However, Satoshi wasn't playing it for nostalgia's sake. Even though boredom had been an incentive in the beginning, he now played to cover up the fact that he was listening intently to an intruder. They were in the secret passageway that his father had had built behind a tapestry of Satoshi's grandfather's coronation. The first king of their family. If the intruder was an assassin, then they were of the poorest kind, and it was unlikely Dark knew about that passageway yet, unless he'd been snooping. It was most likely a lord or lady had been payed to spy on him. For an enemy of the state perhaps.

Standing from his game, after hearing an undeniable crash, he went to investigate.

" Who are you and what are you doing in my rooms." Satoshi ordered, ripping aside the tapestry and letting a little weak light filter into the dark passage.

" Gods, don't do that boy! you'll give an old woman a heart attack." Lady Casandra stepped out into the room, her best dress on and white hair coiled up on her head. Her blind, colourless eyes flickered over the room, never settling on anything for more than a second.

" Why are you here?"

" I know now who murdered my children, and who plans to kill my grandchild." Cassandra said, voice cold and sharp, lips pulled thin.

" What?"

" Your father murdered those I loved dearly. And let me tell you, if he had succeeded in killing Daisuke he would be in immeasurable pain right now." She strode over to the door.

" Wait!" Satoshi called. "Why did my father try to kill Daisuke? And, your children...He killed Daisuke's parents?"

" Yes. He sent a man of evil magics to slay my family and rule my son's kingdom. He now seeks to destroy my one remaining joy, he better be prepared to be strung up by his balls." With that, she left. And Satoshi was left with a terrible reality.

The prince his father was so set on killing was the one thing he loved most.

Cassandra was hell bent on painfully sending his father to Satan.

And he was partially the reason for the death of Daisuke's parents.

Dark, bewildered and half asleep, took that moment to enter Satoshi's rooms. Having heard from a guard that his young charge had had some old woman leave his rooms, and old woman they couldn't find at that, had left his sleepy mind in the dust.

" Are you alright? I was told you'd had a visitor." Dark asked.

" I'm as good as could be in the situation. We need to get to my father."

" Why, is he in trouble?"

" Yes, but I want to go to make sure nobody stops lady Cassandra."

They found the king, Satoshi's father, holding his unsteady own against an onslaught of angry magic from the old woman. The king's private guard were scattered about the room, unconscious or trying not to draw attention to themselves as they nursed wounds.

" And if you DARE even _consider_ touching the prince, I'll do more than ruffle your guards and drain your magic! That is no idle threat!" And with that, she was gone, and King Hiwatari's magic smashed into oblivion in the wall that had been behind her. The King slid to the ground, and people rushed forward to help him.

" There's something wrong." Dark said, suddenly.

" What? Do you mean aside from my father having just been wholly beaten by an old blind woman?"

" Yes. Something is not right." Satoshi trusted Dark's words. He'd been saved from trouble many a time thanks to Dark's odd sixth sense.

" Do you know what?"

" No, just an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I need to get you to a safe place."

" I'm perfectly capable...-" Satoshi stopped at the look in Dark's eyes, and he sighed. "Alright, you win. Safety it is."

" Thank you." Winding through the crowd of people hurrying to the king's aid, they took the lesser used coridoors and eventually the stream of people thinned. Here the torches were burning low, and it seemed almost everyone was away searching for Cassandra. It was because of this light that they almost missed the shape lumped in the darkness. Dark stopped Satoshi with a hand on his chest, and drew a dagger before advanced on the figure.

" Andre!" He exclaimed once features were clear, bending down to help the soldier slumped on the cold stones.

" A guard?" Satoshi asked. "But Cassandra would have had no reason to come through here. Perhaps he walked from the hall and collapsed..."

" No. He died bleeding, we would have noticed the trail of blood before now if that were the case." Both of their heads snapped round at a noise further down the coridoor. Quickly and with reverance Dark closed the eyes of his lost comrade, and vowed that he would avenge whoever had breached the walls of their fortress and murdered this man.

" Let's go see what made that noise." Advancing into the gloom, they only stopped when they were hit by a stench that affected them almost like a phisical wall. Satoshi covered his mouth and nose with an arm, and Dark pulled his collar up over his face looking pale.

" What _is_ that?" Satoshi used his other hand to draw his sword.

" I don't know," Dark replied, starting up again. "But I'm not going to wait to find out." A scream from further ahead urged them into a frantic run, weapons cumbersome in their haste. Their feet splashed through puddles on the floor and abruptly the screaming stopped, this didn't slow them however, nothing did until they reached the castle's Noble Quater.

Dozens of limp, lifeless bodies were strewn about the coridoors, doors hung open or almost falling off their hinges. People lay dead, their throats ripped out or heads cushed. The tapestries hung on the wall were torn and crumpled on the stone floor now stained with blood. The puddles they'd encountered had been these Lords and Ladies' life blood, and they'd been too late.

Satoshi bit his tongue and suppressed the bile rising in his throat. Going to the nearest figure with their head still intact, a chambermaid by her apron, he checked her pulse. Nothing.

" They're all dead." He summarised sombrely. Dark nodded.

" But what killed them? That woman, Cassandra?"

" No, no she only wanted my father. She wouldn't have blamed the Nobles, much less the servants." Satoshi answered, turning from the gruesome sight. He knew these people, many of them he didn't like, but a few had shown kindness to the beaten Prince and for that he mourned them. He didn't want to remember them as mangled corpses.

A growl behind them alerted them to danger. A dog, breast height on a human with blood and saliva dripping from terrible jaws, stood blocking their path. Tiny yellow eyes set in a twisted face glinted as it snarled, and it pulled back oddly-shaped lips to reveal razor sharp teeth.

" Nice doggy..." Dark muttered, readying his sword with deliberate, slow movements. Satoshi tried to back off but it lunged forward with a howl. Steel and bone met in a horrible clash as Dark blocked the gnashing jaws. Taking his sword in a strong grip, Satoshi began to slash methodically at its front legs. If he could stop its movement by injuring its limbs, then they could attack from both sides and pierce its leathery skin. Until then it would be useless slashing and parrying until they wore out.

Dark continued to block, aiming upward thrusts at the creature's neck and chin whenever he could. The creature was no dumb beast, it was tactical, almost trained. Its training was paying off as well. Out of nowhere some invisible force threw him backwards so his back impacted against the wall, forcing him to let go of his sword.

" Dark!" He heard Satoshi cry, but his head was spinning and his eyes couldn't focus. The same unseen hands pulled him up and pinned him to the bricks behind him, his feet dangling above the floor. His dagger eased itself out of its sheaf and flew up, sliding effortlessly through the putrid air at his face. It stopped, spinning docilely just before his eyes.

He looked past it to see the dog take advantage of Satoshi's momentary distraction. It pressed forward, gaining ground. Though he fought valiantly, Satoshi couldn't hold off the dog that had seen its clear lead and was pressing for victory. His sword was knocked away in one swift movement. The creature pounced.

" Satoshi! _Move!_" But the boy couldn't, and the dog pinned him to the ground with its two huge front paws crushing Satoshi's arms into the floor and holding him prostrate beneath it. He struggled and fought but the dog's heavy weight proved too much. As the animal ducked its head to rip out the throat of the young Prince, chilling laughter emerged from the shadows followed by a whistle. The dog pulled its head back, but refused to set Satoshi free.

" This kingdom is too easy." The intruder informed them, coming into the dim light. Long golden hair, white robes and a sinister smile.

" Chancellor Krad." Dark hissed, trying to rip himself from the wall to free his friend.

" Indeed Mousey." Krad stepped forward and bent down to look at Satoshi, trailing one finger down his cheek. Dark growled and Satoshi glared at the angelic fiend above him. "Now, dear Prince, I have a favour to ask."

" I'm not helping you with anything."

" Oh, I think you will. Remember who I have at my mercy, there's one beneath my beast and another imprisoned on the stones of the castle. I wonder what it would feel like to be impaled by your own dagger?" Krad wondered aloud. Satoshi bit his tongue and remained silent. Krad frowned. "You don't think I would do it?"

" No. Once you kill him there will be nothing to blackmail me with, therefore it is in your best interests to let him live." Satoshi answered. Krad laughed again.

" I never said I'd kill him, torture him, yes, toy with him and break his soul, definitely. Perhaps I'll take over his will and have him become another of my mindless servants as well, would you like to fight against the shell of your one true friend?"

" Don't do it Satoshi, you know the people of the kingdom are more important..." Dark spoke from the wall.

" I won't help you." Krad hissed at Satoshi's refusal.

" Then let it be so!" He waved his hand and the dagger plunged into Dark's shoulder. He let out a scream of pain as it began turning in the wound, twisting cloth, skin and blood together. "What say you now?" Krad asked loudly over dark's fading cries.

" I won't!" Satoshi shouted back, squeezing his eyes closed, trying in vain to block out the cries. Krad let out a sound of frustration. Walking over to the purple-haired guard, he held his neck in a death grip and used his other hand to place on his chest. The dagger stopped turning and the pain dulled, Dark struggled to take in ragged breaths thanks to the fingers around his neck.

Satoshi looked up once the screams ended, the dog still panting above him and slightly obscuring his view. He watched in fear as the hand drew black tendrils from the air and wound them into a ball. In one fluid movement he plunged his hand through Dark's chest. Dark went rigid.

" I hold his heart, if I just twist it..." A strangled scream tore itself from Dark's throat and he gave satoshi a pleading look, stopping the criesonly by biting his lip so hard that it bled.

" Stop! please, please stop...anything...just, please..." Satoshi's voice fell silent and Krad gave a predatory grin.

" Good. I want you to fetch me Lady cassandra. I know she was here, she still is. You will get from her the location of the crown Prince, Prince Niwa." satoshi was silent. "There is your choice. Choose now; Dark, or the Niwa Prince."

Forgetful: MUAHAHAHA! I've never written torture before, I think I have a sadistic streak. :evil grin: Sorry for the Dark torture, but it was fun!

Maikeru: Weirdo.

Shoichi: Review please!


	7. Consequences

For The Oblivious Captain Anna, for her inspiring review.

**Chapter 7**

Consequences

The dog got off him reluctantly at the call of its master, and Satoshi slowly got up.

" Tell her you wish to protect the Prince, that you need to know where he is so that your forces can guard him. Better hurry now though, there's no garuntee that your friend here will avoid lethal blood loss." Krad smirked, and Satoshi glared, not daring to speak lest he unleash Krad's wrath on Dark again. Instead, he turned and stalked down the coridoor, resisting the urge to turn back.

He had to find Cassandra, he had to...figure out if Daisuke was still in the cottage and if there was anything blocking Krad from entering it. Then he had to relay all this information to the sorceror and get Dark to the infirmary...Who was he trying to fool? He couldn't give Krad Daisuke's location, he _couldn't._ But he couldn't let Dark die either. What would Dark do?

He didn't know.

Trying to calm his thoughts, he began to run, speeding through the area of massacred corpses and rushing deeper into the castle. No-one was around, nothing was moving, not even breathing. In fact, when he finally flew into the kitchens, everyone was stock still. Frozen.

" Cassandra?" He called, ignoring the frozen chef and the immobile girl plucking chickens. "Cassandra!" Others were still in the hall around his father, he could make out Risa and Riku, their mother beside them, but he overlooked them for the old woman. He knew this magic was her doing, it didn't stink of evil like Krad's spells. His tower always made the Prince want to retch...

_"He sent a man of evil magics to slay my family and rule my son's kingdom."_ The tower; she was trying to get revenge on Krad. Finally having some sort of purpose, Satoshi began to run again, toward the place he'd avoided for the last five years. The stairs were slimy, and more than once things exploded from the wall intending to impale him, all hindering his progress. He avoided all but one which grazed his shoulder. He ignored the blood.

" Cassandra!" He yelled when the door at the top of the winding stairs of Krad's tower was visible. No answer came, and he burst through the door.

It was cold and wet inside the highest tower room. A hole in the circular wall letting in the rain where the giant bookcase had once been, the wind howling throuhg the window where the covering had been torn off. The desk was overturned, its contents spilt all over the slick floor, and in the middle of this destruction stood the old witch.

Her hair was plastered to her head by the rain, but she looked calm, composed and prepared for anything as she gazed through the gaping hole to the raging clouds beyond.

" Cassandra..." He began. She interupted with mutterings.

" I can't sense him, where is he...I can't sense him!"

" Who! Who can't you sense?" Satoshi took her shoulders and shook them, unnerved by her musings and needing her aid dearly.

" The evil magicker. He eludes me Satoshi, but I will find him and avenge my children." He nodded.

" I know where he is." She focussed on him fully and stood up straighter, eyes sparkling. "First though, you must listen. He wants me to get from you the location of Daisuke, I don't think he realises we even met. He must consider it an easy choice for me." Satoshi almost spat the last line venemously.

" Well boy it's simple, you won't tell him."

" No Cassandra _listen._" He pleaded. "He has a very dear friend of mine locked away with him, he's slowly tearing him apart and I can't..I can't. But there's no way I can betray Daisuke or you so...I don't know! I'm just so lost!" She calmed her serene rage for a moment.

" You need my help." She said, stating the obvious. " Well, you are missing a vital asset to our side. You said it yourself, he doesn't realise you and Daisuke know eachother, therefore he would have no reason to suspect you would try to save Daisuke's life over your friend's. So, I will take Daisuke somewhere safe, and you can reveal to him the cottage. He will release your friend and yourself, or at least one of you. That way, you shan't have to decide between the two of them."

" Thank you Cassandra."

" I will give you sanctuary when you are free, and I will heal this friend you are so concerned about. Oh, and Satoshi..."

" Yes?"

" Come back, Daisuke can't cope with having to lose the people he loves twice." Satoshi nodded and began back to the castle coridoors, to the blood, the death, and Dark.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Daisuke jumped when Cassandra appeared and began thrusting her bloingings into a bag.

" Nana...What...?"

" There is no time Daisuke, pack your things. We are no longer safe here." He nodded and ren to his bedroom, packing a few personal belonging and some clothes into a leather bag. Slinging it over one shoulder, he left the house via his window and saddled Flour. She reminded him of Satoshi, and he remembered what Satoshi had said the last time they'd met. _"I'll probably never get to see him again..."_ It seemed Satoshi might have been right.

" Daisuke!" His Nana called.

" I'm in the stables!" He replied, and his flustered grandmother appeared. She grabbed his hand and nodded when she detected the horse.

" Yes, she should come too." With that, Daisuke felt warm and suddenly the world around him was white with rainbow shimmers. The sparkles hurt his eyes and as he blinked away the water that rose up he saw his castle. He was home.

" Nana?" He asked uncertainly.

" I have a house here. A mansion. No doubt it's deserted by now, but we will be safe. It has been protected by the spells and the rushing river for years, for generations of royals, and it won't fail us now. Come." Indeed, the house was protected by a deep, frothing, crushing river, and on the other side the lemon and orange orchard gave way to a steep cliff. No-one could climb that cliff. "I have someone I would like you to meet Daisuke." She lit a tiny flame in the palm of her hand, and a large cream and gold dragon rose above the cliffs. It let a stream of fire into the air, and Flour whinneyed in appreciation.

"Woah..." Daisuke gasped.

" He will protect us if that damn manure-shovelling wizard dare attack by air." Cassandra grinned mischievously.

" Nana, will I never see Satoshi again if we live here?" Daisuke asked, not able to enjoy the dragon fully at the prospect of losing someone else.

" You will. He swore before me he wouldn't give up on you." Daisuke blushed, yet nodded in understanding.

Here they would be safe, and Satoshi would come back to him. He would.


End file.
